Kano State High Court has adjourned until April 15, 2026, the trial of former governor Abdullahi Ganduje and seven others over alleged misappropriation of public funds.
Ganduje, along with his wife, Hafsat Umar, and son, Abdullahi Umar, faces an 11-count charge including bribery, conspiracy, misappropriation, and diversion of public funds worth billions of naira.
The other defendants in the case are Abubakar Bawuro, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Ltd, Safari Textiles Ltd, and Lasage General Enterprises Ltd.
At the resumed proceedings, the prosecution informed the court that it was ready to proceed and drew attention to a November 24, 2025 motion seeking leave to file additional evidence against the defendants.
However, several defence lawyers told the court that pending applications must be determined before the trial could continue.
Lydia Oluwakemi-Oyewo, counsel to the defendants, said the defence had filed a July 17, 2025 motion seeking a stay of proceedings. Adekunle Taiye-Falola, representing the third and seventh defendants, also referred to a May 23, 2025 motion.
Muhammad Shehu, counsel to the fifth defendant, said an affidavit had been filed to notify the court of an application for a stay of proceedings at the Court of Appeal. Abubakar Ahmad, representing the sixth defendant, said he had filed a notice of preliminary objection and an application for an extension of time to respond to points of law, urging the court to fix a hearing date.
Faruk Asekome, counsel to the eighth defendant, informed the court he was ready to proceed.
Following submissions from both sides, Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu adjourned the case to April 15 for the hearing of all pending applications and preliminary objections.
The trial has faced repeated delays due to legal challenges. Earlier rulings by the Kano State High Court had upheld its jurisdiction to hear the case after dismissing preliminary objections from the defence as “incompetent.”
The defendants had challenged this decision at the Court of Appeal in Kano, arguing that the trial court lacked jurisdiction.
In October 2025, the appellate court struck out the appeal, citing improper transmission of the record of appeal.
